Natural World Heritage Sites getting hammered by human activities

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A University of Queensland-led international study published today warns that more than 100 Natural World Heritage Sites (NWHS) are being destroyed by encroaching human activities.

Lead author and UQ PhD student in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences James Allan said World Heritage Natural Sites should be maintained and protected fully.

“For a site to lose 10 or 20 per cent of its forested area in two decades is alarming and must be addressed,” he said.

He said Natural World Heritage Sites (NWHS), via the process driven by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation), were globally recognised as containing some of the Earth’s most valuable natural assets.

The authors looked at human pressure (using the updated global Human Footprint) such as roads, agriculture, urbanisation and industrial infrastructure, along with forest loss, over time.

They found that the Human Footprint has increased in 63 per cent of NWHS across all continents except Europe over the past two decades.

Senior author, Dr James Watson of UQ and the Wildlife Conservation Society said any place listed as a World Heritage site was a globally important asset to all of humanity.

“The world would never accept the Acropolis being knocked down, or a couple of pyramids being flattened for housing estates or roads, yet right now, across our planet, we are letting many of our Natural World Heritage Sites be fundamentally altered,” he said.

The authors said by highlighting Natural World Heritage Sites in immediate danger, the study provides useful baseline data for future monitoring and conservation efforts.